RETRO: PICTURE GALLERY: Doncaster's demolished pubs - part two

Over the last 100 years or more, Doncaster’s pubs have been demolished for a number of reasons.

A batch were demolished for the construction of North Bridge. Another group were cleared from 1890 to 1930 and rebuilt during street widenings, mostly incorporating better facilities, on set-back street lines.

Others, largely beer-houses, were just demolished as being unfit to trade or through redundancy. Clearance of old property for new housing and extensive road developments in the 1950s and 1960s led to significant numbers being swept away, albeit with some licences being transferred to premises erected out of town.

How many of these pubs in the midst of demolition can you remember?

If you missed it, click on the link to see part one of our gallery http://www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk/news/retro-picture-gallery-doncaster-s-demolished-pubs-part-one-1-7675412Angel & Royal

A former landlord of an Angel Inn on the east side of French Gate opened the New Angel on the opposite side of the road in 1810, the older establishment surviving until 1838. Conveniently situated on the Great North Road, the new premises quickly became Doncaster’s principal hotel. A prominent list of guests stayed at the new Angel but the most important were Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal, Prince Alfred and the Princess Alice. They spent a night there on August 27, 1851 while journeying to Balmoral. Afterwards, the hotel was styled Angel & Royal. The last pints were pulled at the premises on December 30, 1962 at 11.30pm. The New Year’s Eve extension had been brought forward – and regulars ‘dug in’ to a huge iced cake baked by a customer to commemorate the closing. Then, the hotel, was demolished to make way for the Arndale (now Frenchgate) Centre.

Bay Horse

Dating from at least 1829 the Bay Horse, French Gate was demolished c1909 due to the construction of the North Bridge and rebuilt on a site slightly south of its original position. The past owners of the Bay Horse included Samuel Johnson & Sons of Wath; Alfred Ream & Son, Doncaster, who paid £2,100 for the premises in 1894; Bass, Ratcliffe & Gretton Ltd of Burton upon Trent. The rebuilt premises were demolished in November 1966 for the Arndale Centre.

Black Boy

The Black Boy may be traced to at least 1777, with Richard Lambert Pilley; James Whitely; and Truswells Brewery Co. Ltd being listed in subsequent years as owners. In 1859 the Black Boy was known to have 15 bedrooms and stabling for 30 horses. Some alterations were undertaken c. 1922 and 15 years later Truswells Brewery Co Ltd submitted plans to rebuild the premises to the designs of Flockton & Son. Doncaster Corporation Highways Committee resolved that consideration of the matter be ‘adjourned with a view to an alternative site being offered to the company to facilitate carrying out of impending street improvements in the vicinity.’ This was never carried out and the pub closed around 1959, the Doncaster Gazette of September 24, 1959 stating: “Work will [soon] start on a new traffic scheme. This will mean that the first work will be the demolition of the Black Boy Hotel and part of the Old Barrel Cafe.”

Cleveland Arms

The Cleveland Arms existed at the corner of Duke Street/Cleveland Street from at least 1856. It was demolished and rebuilt in 1938 and listed among its previous owners were Timothy Lindley and Whitworth, Son & Nephew. In August 1986 a blaze caused £3,000 worth of damage to the pub which had been refurbished only months earlier. The pub’s name was changed to the Emporium during the 1990s but is no longer trading being converted for other uses.

Elephant

An Elephant Inn existed in Doncaster’s High Street – on the site currently occupied by the NatWest Bank – from at least 1763.

The inn closed in 1829 and a new Elephant was opened on the south side of St Sepulchre Gate in 1850. Rebuilt in 1915, as a result of the St Sepulchre Gate widening scheme, the new hotel was designed in what can only be described as ‘free-style’.

After a mere 60-year life span and a short existence as a furniture store, the Elephant was demolished.

An archaeological dig on the site revealed some interesting finds, among which included several Roman ditches, a fourth century pot containing a number of coins and a rare medieval jug.

Star

The Star, at the corner of St James’ Street/Cemetery Road, may be traced to 1818. Plans were approved for rebuilding the Star to the designs of HL Tacon & Son, for Whitworth, Son & Nephew in February 1914.

The premises closed on October 17, 1971 with Dennis Carrier pullingthe last pints – he had been at the pub since 1955.